PETALING JAYA: As travel patterns shift amid tensions in the Middle East, tourism stakeholders say Malaysia should intensify efforts in other key markets while maintaining engagement with Gulf travellers. Malaysian Tourism Federation president Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel said the Middle East remains an important long-haul tourism market for Malaysia. Increasing enquiries have also been coming from Central Asia countries alongside Russia and Far East markets including Japan and South Korea. On the Middle East market, he said 300,000 tourists travel to Malaysia annually from countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Qatar. But Wong noted that interest towards Malaysia remains high, especially among European countries.

Source: The Star March 16, 2026 11:20 UTC